One killed, 11 injured in Yemen after security forces disperse STC storming | Conflict News

Protest erupts after the internationally recognised government holds its first session in the southern city of Aden.

Yemeni security forces have killed at least one person and wounded 11 as a crowd linked to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) attempted to storm the gate of the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent has reported.

Al Jazeera obtained exclusive footage of the shooting, purporting to show several wounded individuals at the site.

The shooting took place on Thursday after Prime Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani held the first meeting of the country’s internationally recognised government, which sits at the al-Maashiq palace. The session took place amid opposition demonstrations, according to the Saba News Agency.

In a statement seen by Al Jazeera, the Aden Governorate Security Committee said that security personnel responded in a lawful manner to armed protesters who tried to enter the area to carry out “acts of sabotage”. The committee added that it would “not tolerate any involvement in acts of chaos or attacks on security forces”.

According to the STC, at least 21 people were wounded. The group condemned what it called the excessive use of force and live ammunition against demonstrators and called for the establishment of a committee to investigate the incident. It also appealed to the international community to take action over “the systematic repression” against “people of the southern governorates”.

The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, controlled Aden and much of southern Yemen until a Saudi Arabia-backed government offensive forced them back in early January.

On Friday, the STC announced its refusal to recognise the legitimacy of the newly formed Yemeni government, describing its presence in the interim capital, Aden, as a “de facto authority” lacking political and popular support. The STC said that the government “does not represent the will of the people of the South”.

It warned that any official government presence in Aden or the southern governorates would not translate into any political obligations on the representatives of the South.

Yemen has been rocked by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The STC is an armed secessionist group formed in 2017, which seeks self-determination and independence for southern Yemen.